The centerpiece of the Town & Country Real Estate summer of 2018 included a soiree to celebrate the opening of our new Greenport office. Located at 120 Front Street, Greenport, the waterfront space is right in the middle of the action in this hot North Fork enclave.

“Greenport is such an ideal place for an office because of the foot traffic,” said Town & Country founder and CEO Judi Desiderio. “And who knows more about great locations than real estate agents."

Agents from Hamptons and North Fork Offices came together for the evening to toast each other's big deals and to meet and greet a host of new agents. A special moment for Judi Desiderio and her partners, Nancy McGann and Janet Hummel, was when agent Charles Sanders presented her with a flag from his time serving in the United States Army in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Today homeownership is 64.2%– one of the lowest levels in history. The peak was back in 2004 when we hit nearly 70% (69.2% to be exact) of all Americans owning their own home.

Why is home ownership so important that it is referred to as “The American Dream”? Ben Carson, who heads the Department of Housing and Urban Development said this, “Homeownership serves as an enduring symbol of security and prosperity, and provides many Americans with a legacy they can pass down to their children and grandchildren.” Elizabeth Mendenhall, President of the National Association of Realtors said, “National Homeownership Month is a time to celebrate and provide the modern American Dream of owning a home. Homeownership changes lives and enhances futures.”

To me, homeownership is a vital component to how we live and what we leave behind. When you connect with Mother Nature in the garden or simply by bringing a container of herbs into your apartment your life becomes more enriched. Creating your own space– your own style– your personal stamp on your personal space is so rewarding. Best of all, you pay your own mortgage instead of someone else’s… while building your personal wealth!

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Sallie Krawcheck, chief executive and co-founder of Ellevest, a digital financial investment firm for women, based out of New York, was quoted in today's Wall Street Journal stating her "BEST BET" was her house in the Hamptons.

In 2004, she cashed out $9.5M of her Citigroup stock, during her tenure as Citi's CFO. Not a typical move at the time. Well we all know what happened to Citigroup's stock after that.

Meanwhile, her summer house in Quogue was recently appraised for $17,000,000. BAM!!

The Sag Harbor Express hosted an informational luncheon forum on the topic of AirBNB and what impact short term rentals are having on our communities. The lunch, held at the American Hotel, included the following panel members:

Jay Schneiderman – Supervisor Southampton

Scott Russell – Supervisor Southold

Jeffrey Bragman – East Hampton Town Board

Adain Corish – Sag Harbor Village Trustee

Leigh Gallagher – author of “The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions . . . and Created Plenty of Controversy”

Judi A Desiderio – CEO Town & Country Real Estate

Brian Boyhan, Publisher, and Gavin Menu, Co-Publisher, of the Sag Harbor Express mediated the forum starting with one question for each panel member. Open questions followed.

The general concern was what impact AirBNBs are having on businesses and the “neighborhood” and quality of life for those who live here and/or live next to a home that is rented through AirBNB.Another topic discussed was the success of the rental registry for both the towns of Southampton as well as East Hampton.

The forum was a platform for all voices to be heard and was well attended by business owners as well as home owners from Hampton Bays to Shelter Island.

This was the second forum sponsored by The Sag Harbor Express. The first one held was on the topic of affordable housing. The Sag Harbor Express plans on continuing with these very informative lunches in the future.

Renovations have begun on Front Street in Greenport as Town & Country Real Estate prepares to open its 8th office at 120 Front Street, Greenport, NY. Already the largest independently-owned and operated real estate firm on the East End of Long Island, NY with over 160 real estate agents and 7 offices spanning the Hamptons, Shelter Island, and North Fork the company’s expansion into Greenport was the clear next step.

Opened in 2005 and helmed by Judi Desiderio, with managing partners Nancy McGann and Janet Hummel, there was always a master plan in place to open an office in Greenport. Desiderio explains, “Greenport is a popular hub on the North Fork. From the carousel to the great shops and award-winning restaurants, there’s so much to do there.”

“The North Fork real estate markets are uniquely different from the Hamptons real estate markets,” says Desiderio. “There’s a different vibe, a different clientele, a different heartbeat.” Each of our individual offices reflect these subtle differences, staffed by true locals who know their market as no other.

“Our new North Fork flagship location will be home for some of the North Fork's best real estate agents, as it has been for so long, to best serve their clients and customers,” says Joan Bischoff van Heemskerck, Town & Country Real Estate’s North Fork and Shelter Island Executive Sales Manager. “Town & Country is a great place to work, providing superior support for its agents, to service all North Fork Real Estate needs!”

Why Greenport? Desiderio explains, “Greenport is such an ideal place for an office because of the foot traffic. And who knows more about great locations than real estate agents.” And, like many of the firm’s exclusive listings the new Front Street office will enjoy a truly great waterview location in the center of the Village across from the vibrant Mitchell Park.

“All of our offices are in the center of town. This space is in the center of the core business district of Greenport – it’s prime!” says Desiderio of the expansion. “With this new office we’re expanding our footprint and will be hiring agents to accommodate our expansion. We’re renovating the space and plan to move into the office this spring in preparation for the summer season.”

Striking modern architecture and site orientation come together in perfect balance with this Bruce Nagel designed Hamptons home for sale in the beautiful and private Northwest area of East Hampton, NY. Nagel, an award-winning architect based in Southampton with notable projects across the East End of Long Island, made efficient use of space and took advantage of the natural light to illuminate this modern home.

The design of the home, inspired by the likes of architects Richard Meier and Charles Gwathmey, is a sophisticated and timeless combination of ideas that will surely impress. Grand 22’ tall ceilings and walls of windows provide panoramic views and seem to raise the home above the 2.15 acres of manicured grounds.

“When I first saw the interior architecture of the house, I was inspired by the open volume and the relationship the house had with the surrounding landscape,” says Igal Toledano, an interior designer who has been putting a luxurious, modern twist on interior design for the last 35 years. “I decided to interfere as minimally as possible with the architecture. To allow for ample floor space for free movement, I designed built-in storage units that maintained the integrity of the overall design of the space.”

The free-flowing spaces begin on the first floor with a luxurious master suite, living room with fireplace, den, and open dining room. An oversized gourmet kitchen is ideal for entertaining with a generous kitchen island and stainless-steel appliances. A Zen garden sets the tone for the other levels and outdoor spaces.

Keeping with the philosophy and design of the home, you ascend to the second level of the residence up an open maple staircase with unobstructed inside/outside views. Two spacious ensuite bedrooms with private decks await.

The lower level of the home features two additional bedrooms, a large bath, exercise and entertainment areas, plus a spacious storage room. Auto enthusiasts will appreciate the heated 3-car garage at the end of a long flat driveway with ample parking.

Toledano remarked, “The house was unlike many of the homes I’d worked on, in terms of location and positioning. From inside you have a vast panoramic view of the surrounding landscape while offering one complete and total privacy.”

In the Hamptons real estate market when designers come together on a project the attention to detail is unparalleled. When that pair is a noted husband and wife design team there’s a passion in their creative vision that results in one of the finest new homes in the East Hampton estate section of the Hamptons. Further, when the client is noted Hamptons builder Jonathan Tabone, the project takes on a new level of sophistication and construction.

Indeed, the bright double-height entry foyer sets the stylish, comfortable tone for the home. Open concept living spaces flow effortlessly from room to room through the first floor as large windows let in the south-facing views and overlook the lush grounds. The homes gourmet kitchen with large kitchen island for seating and prep features marble countertops, custom cabinetry, a marble backsplash, and appliances by Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Miele. The first-floor master suite is replete with luxurious amenities including a fireplace – one of 5 in the home, sitting area, custom built-in closets, private porch, and beautifully appointed en-suite master bathroom. The second level features another luxurious master suite, plus three more en-suite guest bedrooms each with their own mahogany terraces.

Designed with entertaining in mind, the estate’s lower level boasts a state-of-the-art movie theater, recreational area, mirrored gym, glass 864-bottle wine cellar, two bedrooms, and two additional bathrooms. Getting around the home’s many levels is made easy with an elevator. Additionally, the home is outfitted with a Lutron Home Automation System, gated entry, 10’ ceilings throughout, and extensive outdoor lighting.

The design team took advantage of the properties privacy when composing the outdoor living areas. Starting with an oversized covered porch with three distinct areas for lounging, dining, and conversation, the spaces overlook mature plantings with perennials throughout. The centerpiece of backyard is the 18’ x 50’ heated salt water, gunite swimming pool, 8’ x 8’ spa, sun shelf, modern waterfall, and lap lane. The pool house includes a masonry fireplace, outdoor Chef’s kitchen with Sub-Zero appliances, sleek outside shower with oversized rainhead, sitting area, and an amazing 100” drop-down movie screen.

The Hamptons real estate markets closed out the year with a BANG for 2017!

All Hamptons Markets Combined clearly proves 2017 blew 2016 away in the last 3 months year over year. There were 105 more homes, or 36% jump in Number of Home Sales and nearly 43% more Total Home Sales Volume. No doubt the East End towns are celebrating the inflow to their CPF (Community Preservation Fund) coffers.

Digging deeper into the statistics and you will see East Hampton Village and Southampton Village once again prove their blue chip status. East Hampton Village statistically logged the greatest increases for both the Number of Home Sales and Total Home Sales Volume (+181%) with a staggering $4,000,000 Median Home Sales Price, which was eclipsed only by Southampton Village which produced a Median Home Sales Price of $4,292,500! Impressive! Southampton Village closed over $145 million dollars in the last 3 months of 2017.

Another top performing market was East Hampton Area (includes Wainscott), closing 92 Home Sales in the 4th Quarter 2017.

All in all 11 of the 12 HAMPTONS markets monitored by TOWN & COUNTRY realized increases or the same Number of Home Sales and 10 of the 12 saw gains in Total Home Sales Volume. A fine way to close out the year.

The last three months of 2017 were very strong for North Fork Home Sales. With the Number of Home Sales up nearly 20%, from 92 to 110 year over year, and Total Home Sales Volume up 13%, there’s much to cheer about!

Looking further at All North Fork Markets Combined and we see the greatest statistical jump was in the $1-$1.99M price range which exploded by 71.4%. All told though 97 of the 110 Home Sales occurred under a million and the Median Home Sales Price for the 3rd Q 2017 was 531,500, slightly higher than 2016 same quarter.

Delving deeper into the statistics and you clearly see Southold (which includes New Suffolk and Peconic) is the best in class with a staggering 62% more in Number of Home Sales and 54% greater Total Home Sales Volume 2017 compared to 2016, 4th quarter, yet Median Home Sales Price remained relatively stable.

Jamesport (which includes Aquebogue, Baiting Hollow and South Jamesport) performed incredibly well with 42% more Home Sales and 42% greater Total Home Sales Volume with the Median Home Sales Price up 23%!

Mattituck (which includes Laurel and Cutchogue) had the highest Median Home Sales Price of $595,000.

Conversely Orient (which includes East Marion and Greenport) was a bit of an anchor with 13% fewer Home Sales and a 23% drop in Total Home Sales Volume.

All in all the North Fork markets are gaining momentum. At TOWN & COUNTRY our North Fork offices are seeing the most sales activity in over the past 12 years!